(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

[Rating:4/5]

Bereavement arrives as the prequel to Stevan Mena’s 2004 cult hit Malevolence. I’ll mention upfront that I haven’t had a chance to see the latter film, so I could neither get my my hopes up nor be disappointed, but what I will say is that Bereavement was just an awesome horror/slasher experience from beginning to end. Relentlessly macabre and psychologically involving, it tells the story of how six-year-old Martin Bristol (Spencer List) was kidnapped by the psychotic recluse Graham Sutter (Brett Rickaby) in 1989. Kept in Sutter’s ramshackle and abandoned slaughter house for years and forced to witness and participate in Sutter’s murderous and sadistic acts against the women he kidnaps, the boy’s whereabouts would go unknown were it not for the misfortune of one Allison Miller (Alexandra Daddario; Percy Jackson & The Olympians; TV’s White Collar; Hall Pass ).

It’s been five years since Martin was kidnapped and Allison is moving in with her uncle and his family after her parents have died in a car accident. The lonely teen will stumble into Graham Sutter’s psychopathic death trap after her curiosity gets the best of her when she sees a mysterious boy in the window of the abandoned slaughterhouse. Little does she know she’ll be uncovering the mystery of a lost child and falling into a terror like one she’s never known.

More than just a slasher film, Bereavement is an exploration of the broken mind of a killer. Graham Sutter from the beginning is obviously struggling with ghosts from his own past and trying to raise this kidnapped boy, a boy who cannot feel pain, by the way, as some sort of twisted way to redemption. This is a triumph all around. It’s terrifying, emotionally gripping and downright gory; everything you want in a horror film.

Video Quality

[Rating:5/5]

If you like an unobscured view of your gore then you will be pleased with this gorgeous AVC encodement of Bereavement from Anchor Bay. The Super-35mm source is crystal clear with just the slightest hint of grain present and it yields the most natural looking colors, like azure skies, the deep blues of Alexandra Daddario’s eyes, and of course, vermillion reds for all that splattering blood. Detail is immaculate, from the notches on Sutter’s rusty blades to all the objects big and small in his house of death, this transfer gives it all up. Even in the darker areas where there are inky blacks, they may sometimes crush just a tad, but the overall imagery is quite nuanced.

Audio Quality

[Rating:5/5]

From the thunderous rainstorms to the helpless screams of strung up victims, this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack will chill and thrill with a completely engulfing mix that has a wide soundstage, wide dynamic range, deep low frequencies, and nice clean dialogue. This is just the sort of aggressive, atmospheric, and tightly cohesive mix one wants for this sort of film to help tie the whole thing together.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

If only the making of and behind-the-scenes featurettes weren’t in standard definition, this might have been a perfect little supplementary package. Still, there are a solid bit of deleted scenes and an audio commentary to round out the obligatory trailer and production stills.

The supplements provided:

Audio Commentary with Writer/Producer/Director Stevan Mena

The Making of Bereavement (1.33:1; 480i/60; 00:34:37)

First Look: On the Set (1.33:1; 480i/60; 00:07:06)

Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary (2.35:1; 1080p/24; 00:10:45)

Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)

TV Spot (2.35:1; 1080p/24)

Still Montage (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:04:57)

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

This intense film is a must-have for horror fans and should come in handy for the upcoming Halloween season as part of any horror film marathons or festivities, which are just around the corner. The Blu-ray from Anchor Bay is an absolute reference and offers a brilliant level of home theatre entertainment. Highly recommended.